About Prairie Dogs
Beneath Colorado's open skies lies a hidden world of tunnels, family groups, and ancient prairie communities. Prairie dogs have shaped the grasslands of North America for thousands of years, engineering habitats that support a remarkable diversity of wildlife. Their colonies create pockets of life across the prairie, attracting predators, providing shelter for other species, and helping maintain the health and resilience of the ecosystem itself.
Today, these vital grassland architects face mounting pressure from development and ongoing eradication efforts. As prairie dog colonies disappear, so too do many of the ecological relationships that depend upon them. Understanding prairie dogs is the first step toward understanding the prairie itself—and why protecting these small animals helps safeguard one of Colorado's most threatened and overlooked landscapes. Visit our Results page to learn the impact Prairie Protection Colorado has made in Colorado.
Meet some of the prairie dogs we’ve saved!
Prairie Dogs: Coral Reefs of the Prairies
Prairie dogs are the keystone species of the prairies and are the main indicators of a healthy prairie community. More than 200 different species have been associated with prairie dog towns, with over 140 species benefiting directly including bison, pocket mice, deer mice, ants, pronghorn, golden eagles, black widow spiders, badgers, foxes, coyotes, weasels, horned larks, rattlesnakes, ferruginous hawks, burrowing owls and the black-footed ferret whom cannot live without large contiguous prairie dog colonies. Prairie dogs hold the native prairies together: Their disappearance from the grasslands creates a landscape scale loss of various plants, wildlife and climatic conditions necessary for the health of our planet. Prairies of the West are fast disappearing along with the diverse plant and wildlife communities that hold this fragile habitat together. Currently, less than 1% of prairie dogs and their habitats remain in the West.
Derrick Jensen with Gerardo Caballos on Prairie Dogs and Grazing
Derrick Jensen with Con Slobodchikoff on Prairie Dogs, Their Behaviors and Language
Derrick Jensen with Deanna Meyer Talk About the War on Prairie Dogs by Wildlife Officials
We Can't Live Without Prairie Dogs
I’m a Black-Footed Ferret. I rely on prairie dogs for my food and for their burrows for my home. Because of the decline of prairie dog colonies and appropriate habitat, I am an endangered species!
I’m a burrowing owl. I rely on prairie dogs for their burrows as a place for me to build my nest. Prairie dogs are dissappearing in Colorado and because of that I’m a threatened species!
I am a Ferruginous Hawk. Prairie dogs are one of my favorite foods. I am dependant on prairie grasslands, where I live and hunt. Because of the loss of these grasslands I am a species of concern in Colorado.